Understanding differential expression of genes during EBV lytic cycle reactivation by employing high throughput RNA-sequencing

To understand the changes in global transcriptomic landscape during the EBV lytic cycle reactivation from lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), RNA-seq was performed. By examining the transcriptomic changes, we obtained valuable insights into the molecular events and regulatory mechanisms involved in EBV reactivation into lytic cycle replication. The study also enhances our knowledge of the complex interplay between EBV and the host cells during its lytic cycle. EBV reactivation into lytic replication was induced by treating two LCL clones (LCL#1 and LCL#89) using sodium butyrate (3mM) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA; 20ng/ml). Total RNA was isolated 48 and 72 h post-treatment and subjected to cDNA preparation followed by RNA-Seq analyses using Ion S5 XL platform.